1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program. More particularly, the present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program that use a touch panel to perform operation.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the past, a mobile apparatus such as a cellular phone is peculiar in that the keyboard is mainly operated with the thumb while the apparatus main body is gripped by one hand. Therefore, the key arrangement of the keyboard is in accordance with such operational environment. For example, frequently used keys are arranged within a range in which the thumb can move smoothly, and a cancel key is arranged at such a place that the cancel key is difficult to press so as to prevent erroneous operation.
The key arrangement made taking the above peculiarity into consideration is based on the operational environment in which the mobile apparatus is assumed to be used by right-handed people. Therefore, the key arrangement is very difficult for left-handed people to operate. Alternatively, when an apparatus for right-handed people and an apparatus for left-handed people are prepared separately, there arises an issue in that each apparatus can be used only by intended people, and in addition, the cost increases since it is necessary to arrange two different types of apparatuses.
Further, not only the key arrangement but also other input and output devices such as functions of mouse-buttons and a display position on a display screen are sometimes difficult to use depending on how the apparatus main body is gripped. For this issue, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2000-330946 discloses a technique in which touch sensors are arranged at a plurality of positions on the outside of the apparatus so as to detect how the apparatus is gripped by a user. In the technique of JP-A No. 2000-330946 how a user grips the apparatus can be detected based on a contact situation of the touch sensors arranged on the outside of the apparatus, thus being able to change the key arrangement and the like accordingly.